Reaching new heights: How have Europeans grown so tall?

Paris (AFP) - Genetic differences, painstakingly crafted by thousands of years of natural selection, explain why Europeans from the north tower over their southern cousins, researchers said Monday.

Medicare, the health insurance program for Americans aged 65 and older, is turning 50 this week. In honor of that milestone, Yale researchers crunched the numbers to see how well Medicare has fared since 1999.

Retail Sales Index data was out last week and this is an update on series through August 2013.

Children born using in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) are likely to be taller than their naturally conceived counterparts, New Zealand researchers have found.The study by Auckland University's Liggins Institute found IVF children conceived from fresh, rather than frozen, embryos were about 2.6 centimetres (1.02 inches) taller than non-IVF children by the age of six.The research, which examined about 200 children, found the height difference was statistically significant, even after adjusting for variables such as the parents' height.

In the flood of reporting on the presidential candidacy of Hillary Rodham Clinton, amid the emails, polling data, classified documents and position papers, no one seems to have noticed a medical miracle at the center of the campaign. The candidate appears to be getting taller. I’m excited. Americans of short stature, like me, can finally dream of someday reaching those upper shelves, looking good in the latest fashions and regaining the respect of our children long used to looking down on us.

Police think they may have some idea who staged the spectacular tunnelling robbery of the Hatton Garden jewelry safe deposit building in London over Easter.

Having covered Markit/HSBC PMI for Manufacturing for Russia here: http://trueeconomics.blogspot.ie/2014/09/192014-russia-manufacturing-pmi-august.html lets now update data for Services PMI and Composite PMI.